“This job lets me live where I want to live and do what I want to do.”
When you ask Scott Ross what he does at Pattern, he’ll probably start with a job title: Facility Manager for Duran Mesa and Red Cloud, two wind farms that make up part of the Western Spirit Wind facility in New Mexico. But spend five minutes talking with Scott and you’ll realize quickly—this man wears a lot of hats.
He’s the kind of person who happily gets up at 5 AM, and, coffee in hand, is already scanning turbine data before most of us have hit snooze. His days start with safety meetings and end with phone calls, coordinating with everyone from technicians to transmission planners. “Eighty percent of my job is just working with people,” he says with a laugh. “And I’m not really a big talker.” But you wouldn’t guess that from how effortlessly he connects with those around him.
Jose and Scott Ross pose at the Siemens Gamesa wind farm in Peru.
From the Department of Agriculture to Working in Wind Energy
Born in Colorado and raised with a love of the outdoors, Scott’s path to wind energy wasn’t a straight line—but it’s one defined by grit, curiosity, and a deep respect for the land. “I’ve been a jack-of-all-trades most of my life,” he says. He’s worked in animal nutrition, feed mills, and even with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, managing coyote and mountain lion populations to protect livestock in rural Texas.
But it was a row of wind turbines he spotted one day near Munday, Texas, that truly changed his trajectory.
“I’ve always loved machines, and seeing those towers go up just sparked something,” he recalls. Scott got his start in wind in 2007, building turbines in the early days of the industry in the US. After nearly a decade installing turbines with Siemens Gamesa, where he traveled the globe—from Denmark to Peru—he found his way to Pattern, in Comanche County, Texas, of all places. “The second I stepped onto the Logan’s Gap site, I could tell Pattern was different,” he says. “They cared about safety and people in a way I hadn’t seen before.”
Scott, and his wife Tonja and daughter Jessica, ride horses in Oklahoma.
Getting to the Land of Enchantment by Way of Pattern
When he saw an opportunity to work in New Mexico, it wasn’t just a new role—it was a return to a dream. Scott and his wife had already purchased some land outside of Corona, NM, with plans to retire in the mountains. Today, that land is a work in progress: there is a barn in the making, a house on the horizon, and 150 trees waiting to be planted.
Scott’s deep agricultural roots and knowledge of New Mexico allow him to connect with the folks he works with on a daily basis. “A lot of our landowners know I’m one of them,” he says. “I’ve worked in ag, I’ve raised livestock, I understand what they’re dealing with.” It’s this connection that helps him build trust, solve problems, and keep things running smoothly—with both the people on the ground and in the turbines.
For Scott, working at Pattern is the culmination of a lifetime of skilled outdoorsmanship, and a big part of why he’s suited for this role. He loves the work, which finds him outside for several hours most days, and he loves the location.
“This job lets me live where I want to live and do what I want to do,” he says. “That’s not something everyone gets to say.”
But it also reflects his own personal achievements, especially in the face of adversity. When Scott was 16, his father fell seriously ill, and he had to pick up whatever work he could to help his family get by. Now, Scott works as the first facility manager at Western Spirit Wind, running two wind farms effortlessly. “I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come,” he says.
A Family Man, an Outdoorsman, and a Craftsman
When he’s not at work, Scott is rarely indoors. He’s an avid hunter, fisherman, and long-range shooter. At one time, he was a world champion 3D archery shooter. Archery is a hobby he shares with his wife and all three of his children, who live in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. His children have careers and kids of their own—he has ten grandkids, and a few of them attend Corona School. One of his sons, inspired by his dad’s career success, even became a wind energy facility manager himself in Oklahoma. Though his family is spread out over the region, they do their best to see each other as much as they can.
“When I was very small, my earliest memories were either going through the woods with my dad or with one of my uncles, with a fishing pole or a rifle or a BB gun. You know, a lot of time out in the woods,” he says. “So any time I get with my family, we’re outside.”
Scott also spends his time honing his craft as a bladesmith. “I make everything from small fixed-blade knives to katana swords. And everything in between,” he says. “I have a forge and a blacksmith shop set up in my barn, and I spend a lot of time swinging a big hammer and hitting hot steel.” While the blades Scott makes are certainly functional, he treats them like works of art and even donates a few each year to the Corona High School fundraising raffle.
Scott awards prizes to the winners of the Corona Youth Rodeo.
Pattern’s Positive Mark on New Mexico
To Scott, Pattern’s positive impact on New Mexico is clear. “By building Western Spirit and SunZia, the amount of work that we have created in this area has truly benefited everyone out here,” Scott says. “When you give this many people a job to come out here, you have helped the local community, everything from grocery stores to convenience stores to hotels.”
As a lifelong outdoorsman, Scott also appreciates the energy infrastructure that he’s helping Pattern build.
“I truly believe that we are the stewards of the earth,” he says. “This is the world that I leave to my grandkids, and I just want to make sure that it’s a good place for them. With renewable projects that we have out here, I think Pattern is doing very well with that.”